When Foster The People made their name with ‘Pumped up Kicks’, many thought they might be a flash in the pan; a one hit wonder with little more to offer than the undeniably toe-tapping summer anthem of 2011. But one listen to ‘Torches’, the band’s debut album, was enough to convince us they had something more, while dividing the critics at the same time.

Foster The People have achieved a similar feat to that of their debut album: mediocrity

If universal acclaim is the goal, then Foster The People certainly failed with ‘Torches’, but the potential was there, making the hype surrounding their new album ‘Supermodels’ almost palpable. Unfortunately, the same story befalls; hints of indie-pop nous but a polarizing effect on the press.

“The sound they've fashioned is glossy and supersaturated while still exhibiting the subversive impulse that yielded the supremely catchy but subtly sinister smash ‘Pumped Up Kicks,’” said Uncut. “With Supermodel, his goal is not to make you like him, but rather to give you a sense of what it's like to be him. He pulls it off, and he throws in plenty of hooks along the way,” wrote Billboard.

The A.V Club plead for us to be patient with ‘Supermodel’. “Unlike Torches, Supermodel doesn’t have instant stickability. Instead, it is a slow grower. It’s worth it though, so be patient,” goes their review. And “Although Supermodel is derivative,” write Clash Music, “it’s more often inventively imitative, rather than devolving into out-and-out mimicry.”

Two of the big boys, though, weren’t complimentary to FTP for their latest effort. “The occasionally super Supermodel is an album of transition rather than a definitive statement,” reads Q Magazine’s review, while The New York Times’ write up says “The band’s songs are as dense to listen to as they are to contemplate.”